chapter 20

I took in his worn black t-shirt and black jeans and the leather riding gloves he was pulling off. His hair was pushed back with a black bandana and his beard was longer and wilder than his brothers’. He looked like a biker, ready to charge into a bar fight.

“Cammie?”

I took a step backward and cursed my white skin that loved to glow red. It sucked.

Hannah laughed. “Wrong ex lady friend, Julian. This is Mallory. She just started working here.”

His eyes narrowed as he took me in. “Mallory?”

I shifted and crossed my arms over my chest. I felt like he would be able to see all of my secrets if I wasn’t careful. “That’s my name.”

“So you’re a liar.” He shook his head. “What are you doing here?”

Anger surged. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, Cammie, I’m not kidding.”

I came up to my full height, in heels, and scowled back at him. Who the hell did he think he was? “My name is Mallory and you can use it, or better yet, don’t use it.”

“Again, what are you doing here?”

Blake came from his office and spotted the tension between the two of us. “Julian, what’s up?”

“Why is she working here?”

Blake frowned and then turned to Hannah. “Hannah, do me a favor and go look for my phone in my truck. I lost it and I’m expecting a call.”

Hannah groaned. “Blake! I can see your phone in your pocket.”

“Hannah, go.”

She stomped out of the office and slammed the door behind her.

Blake then turned to his brother and frowned. “What the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you being an asshole?”

Julian crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “Just wondering why the fuck you’re hiring my old conquests.”

I felt my body heat up and growled. “Do you always think everything is about you? My working here has nothing to do with you.”

Blake looked me over. “You okay?”

I calmed down slightly when I met his eyes. “Yeah. Fine.”

Julian laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Oh, I see.”

“What, Julian? What do you see?”

“You’re fucking her.” Julian sent me a disgusted look. “You making your way through all the Steele men?”

Blake grabbed the front of his brother’s shirt and shook him. “That’s enough. What’s your fucking problem?”

Still scowling at me, he spoke to his brother. “Did you know she was with me before?”

I raised my eyebrows. “I’d hardly say I was with you. A fifteen-minute tryst in your truck barely counts as anything.”

Blake bit back a smile and held up his hands. “Okay, this has been fun, but you’re not going to talk to her like that. What do you need?”

Julian backed away. “Did you know?”

“God, Julian, you’re like a dog with a bone. Yes, I knew.”

I looked at Blake, confused. How did he know? Had Isaac told him?

“And you did it anyway?”

Blake scoffed. “You’re kidding, right?”

I pulled out my desk chair and looked at the two of them. “I have work to do.”

“I’m sure. There’s another Steele brother for you to mount.”

Blake smacked his brother in the back of the head and growled. “Fuck off with that, Julian.”

I jabbed my finger into Julian’s chest. “You’re an asshole. And unless you have another brother, I’ve already mounted the three of you, and let me tell you, you weren’t in the top two.”

Blake snorted. “Damn.”

I pushed past Julian and grabbed my purse. “I’m taking an early lunch.”